Happy 50th Birthday, Lamborghini

from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car

Five decades ago, the automotive world got a whole lot more interesting with the arrival of an upstart Italian automaker by the name of Lamborghini. Judging only by the rampaging bull emblem on its nose, you had to know this rival to a certain established Italian sports car company--think red cars and Formula One racing--was going to be something special and pretty darn bold. An important point to remember, however, is that the very founding of Lamborghini Automobili came about simply because its owner and namesake, Ferruccio Lamborghini, wanted to build a more refined rival to Ferrari's road cars.
The story goes that Lamborghini had complained personally to Enzo Ferrari about the quality of his cars--Mr. Lamborghini had owned a number of exotic cars, including Ferraris. It's said that Enzo brushed aside his complaints and, in doing so, caused Lamborghini to storm out of his office and vow to build a better car. It's a very good story and lays the foundation for a great rivalry. But whether or not it's true, well, that remains open to debate, and a definitive answer is most likely lost to history. But there is no doubt that Lamborghini's dissatisfaction with Ferrari led him to build a car that would carry his name for 50 years, and counting.
Lamborghini's first model, the 350GT, now seems almost tame for a car company that became synonymous with scissor-doors, wild paint jobs, and an assortment of wings that could double as spare parts for a Cessna. Long before the wedge-shaped, mid-engine Countach came along, the 350GT had already established Lamborghini as a legitimate force in the burgeoning supercar market. From its front-mounted aluminum V-12 engine, to its tastefully refined (and restrained) bodywork by Carrozzeria Touring, the 350GT perfectly fit the template for that era's Italian grand touring car.
It wasn't quite a seamless start for the company, however. The talented designer Franco Scaglione had penned the very first Lamborghini, the 1963 350GTV. The non-running show car had lithe lines, but was not exactly universally praised for its looks. In retrospect, the car's fastback tail and hidden headlamps appear sleek and seductive--it's hard to imagine the car needing a thorough redesign by Touring. Yet that's exactly what happened, as the 350GTV show car morphed into the 350GT road car. From that point onwards, Automobili Lamborghini would switch back and forth from gradually refining and improving its lineup, to completely reinventing it--and in many cases, the result would turn the sports car world upside down. Or, more to the point, from front to back.
The 1966 Miura is not only one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous cars ever produced, it ushered in the mid-engine era of ultra-exotic cars. Did the term supercar exist before the Miura arrived? Perhaps it did. Though it's hard to imagine many cars had lived up to the name like this two-passenger automotive masterpiece. If you haven't deduced by now, I'm a big fan of the Miura. And yes, I know all about the car's propensity to have its front end start to lift at high speeds. That's not exactly what you want when traveling at well over 100 miles per hour--after all, it's kind of nice to have the front wheels remain in contact with the road at that type of velocity. Nevertheless, the Miura remains a personal favorite; and, should I ever hit the lottery, the keys to one would find their way into my pocket.
But if you'd asked me to go pick out the ultimate must-have Lamborghini 25 years ago, my chubby little chocolate-covered fingers would have immediately pointed to only one car...the Countach. If the Miura took the exotic car world up another notch, the wildly angular Countach kicked the market deep into outer space. Forget the curves and flowing fenders of past sports machines, the Countach looked like it had been designed by NASA to be used as a prop in the hilariously camp film Barbarella. The doors of the Countach swung upwards, for goodness sake, and the windshield appeared almost parallel to the ground. Of course, some of the charm wears off whenever you have to reverse a Countach. Pop open the door, sit on the wide sill, and honk if anything or anyone gets in the way. It's not pretty, but it works (usually).
Other high points over Lamborghini's 50 years have included cars like the gorgeous Diablo, successor to the Countach, and the current Aventador in all its 700-horsepower glory. Later this year, during the annual Geneva Auto Show, Lamborghini will officially pull the wraps off an even faster variant: the Aventador LP720-4. With 20 extra ponies, along with cosmetic revisions to the cabin and exterior, this four-wheel-drive supercar is guaranteed to be a sensation in Switzerland. Further down the road, it's likely Lamborghini will give the green light to a production version of the Urus sport-utility concept, shown last year. And with the corporate might of VW/Audi behind it, it's also possible the stunning Estoque sedan (or some variant of the 2009 concept car) could make a reappearance as a production model.
While it's all still speculation, you can't argue that there are few car companies more exciting to hypothesize about than the brand with the bull on its emblem.

This article originally appeared in the April, 2013 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.